WASHINGTON: The United States voiced condemnation on Wednesday for recent Iranian strikes in Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria, claiming that Tehran had targeted “anti-Iranian terrorist groups.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed concern, stating, “We do condemn those strikes. We’ve seen Iran violate the sovereign borders of three of its neighbors in just the past couple of days.”
In response to Iran’s violation of Pakistani airspace, Islamabad issued a stern warning of consequences and announced the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador while recalling its envoy from Tehran.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, in a press briefing in Islamabad, conveyed Pakistan’s decision to recall its ambassador and keep the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, currently in Iran, from returning for the time being.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani conveyed Pakistan’s stance to his Iranian counterpart, urging against the unilateral path of launching attacks on a neighboring nation’s soil in the fight against terrorism.
Jilani stressed that no country in the region should embark on such a perilous path during a telephone call with Iran’s FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. He also asserted Pakistan’s “right to respond to this provocative act.”
Emphasizing terrorism as a common regional threat demanding concerted efforts, FM Jilani underlined that unilateral actions could seriously undermine regional peace and stability. Tehran, on January 17, claimed to have targeted the bases of the alleged terrorist organization Jaish al-Adl inside Pakistani territory, “Green Mountain,” using drones and missiles.
However, the assault resulted in the tragic death of two children and injuries to three others, as reported by Pakistan. Islamabad denounced the incident as an “unprovoked and blatant” violation of its sovereignty, considering it a breach of international law and the principles of the UN Charter.
